About Newmella

wendy@newmella.co.za
LinkedIn

Wendy is an Innovation Behavioural Specialist and the Managing Director of Newmella Holdings (Pty) Ltd.

She serves as Chair of the South African Chamber of Commerce UK and the 30% Club (KwaZulu-Natal). Additionally, she is an Advisory Council Member for Dare Restoring Worth (a youth mentorship academy), TEDx and Vega Durban.

Wendy previously lectured a course in Business Innovation Management at Vega School, a tertiary education college and subsidiary of ADvTECH. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and Marketing (cum laude) and a Master of Arts in Brand Innovation (cum laude), and has a  PhD in Leadership and Culture. She is also a Master Practitioner in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and an internationally accredited Trainer of NLP. Wendy is a seasoned conference speaker and has presented on TEDx.

Her corporate positions include Executive Director at European Times, Director of Sales and Marketing at CNBC and Forbes Africa, General Manager of Sales at Trudon South Africa, and Director at TDS Namibia.

katherine@newmella.co.za
LinkedIn

Katherine is a Business Innovation and NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) Practitioner and Instructional Designer. Her education took her through the journey from a BA (Hons) degree in Economics and Social Anthropology, to a Postgraduate Diploma in Training and Curriculum Development, to qualifying as an NLP practitioner.

Katherine has worked both in Academia and Corporate Training where she has deepened her understanding of the neuroscience of learning. Katherine develops training courses for adult learners, based on the principles of active learning and learner-centred engagement. By weaving the cognitive, emotional, and behavioural aspects of learning into instructional design, Katherine develops training programs in which participants feel motivated and engaged, and which are highly focused on developing skills necessary for professional development.

Using Neuro-Linguistic Programming as a framework for fostering innovation and problem-solving skills, Katherine believes in the importance of generating change that is both sustainable and attainable. In her free time, she is a photographer, musician and a yogi.

queries@newmella.co.za
LinkedIn

David White is a seasoned business leader holding multiple titles which include being the SA Chapter leader of the SA Chamber of Commerce UK. His career and contribution to society has been focused on helping entrepreneurs and business leaders “build better businesses” that meet quality assurance, governance, and sustainability outcome objectives.

To further support these endeavours, David in his role as founder and CEO of BusinessFit, has created a scientific methodology to helping more businesses be more successful more often. This approach includes a five-stage quality assurance process, and corrective action sustainability report – all coordinated through a native BusinessFit App.

David is the Founder and CEO of a 27-year-old HR consultancy called DRG, providing HR administration, reporting, compliance, and staffing engagement services to companies from more than forty countries who have business interests in South Africa and Africa. He is also a Co-Founder and Director of Green Lights Sustainability Initiative, an organisation that provides Sustainability training and verification services.

David has governing body experience in many organisations, including medical research, conservation, real estate, and business, and is highly networked in both South Africa and the United Kingdom. He writes on business, governance, leadership, sustainability, and nature, and has been writing for business journals both nationally and internationally for the past 25 years.

queries@newmella.co.za
LinkedIn

Ian Russell is a natural storyteller and a compelling speaker who draws on the experiences gained, and mistakes made, in a hugely successful 30-year global career. The author of two bestselling books, ‘The Upside of Being Myself and other leadership stories’ and ‘The Other End of the Telescope’. Ian’s unique blend of irreverent humour, experience-led insight and candor creates a refreshing and energising impact with any audience.

Reviewers have variously described Ian as ‘…sounding like the bastard love-child of Jeremy Clarkson and Malcolm Gladwell, raised by Jack Welch’, and accused him of creating ‘…the wisdom of 25 years of hindsight, distilled into one potent antidote for the Kool Aid being consumed by most businesses as they attempt to face a new world order in which all the old corporate rules no longer hold sway.’ On both charges, Ian is happy to plead guilty.

Previously an experienced global CEO with a proven track record in leading strategic turnarounds, Ian is now largely focused on working with private equity firms and founder-owned businesses at Board level to improve their performance. Ian currently chairs 4 organisations including a hedge fund an FMCG business, a fintech, and a not-for-profit school, in between which he manages to find the time to ride his horses and drink good wine.

Ian is a successful keynote speaker, and travels extensively to talk to leadership teams and organisations about how to frame their strategy so that things actually get done!

queries@newmella.co.za
LinkedIn

Nasrat currently provides consulting services within the financial services sector, collaborating with SMEs to identify and capitalise on business and practice development opportunities.

In her previous role, she led BlueStar Businesses as its Head, overseeing a network of approximately 200 advisory practices nationwide. With over two decades of senior management expertise, she has honed her skills in effectively managing teams across diverse geographic locations, extending her reach to offer business support services in Namibia.

Prior to her tenure at BlueStar, she spearheaded the Sales Training Academy, where she orchestrated comprehensive programs encompassing Leadership and Management development, intermediary training, and intermediary support initiatives. Her professional journey has traversed borders, as she contributed to the professional development landscape in Zambia, Botswana, Kenya, Ghana, and India. Notably, she has collaborated closely with Inseta to tailor bespoke Wealth Management Qualification programs.

Beyond these roles, she has held esteemed positions such as Director on the FPI Board, Advisory Board member at Milpark Business School, and Director on the SASCE Board. Her international engagements include consultancy for the Financial Planning Standards Board in Denver, where she played a pivotal role in shaping global work experience and supervisory standards.

Of particular note, she has served a three-year tenure on the Professional Standards Committee of the Financial Planning Standards Board in Denver, underscoring her dedication to advancing industry benchmarks and best practices.

queries@newmella.co.za
LinkedIn

Dr Praline Ross is the CEO of The Africa Wellness Foundation, an NPO, specialising in Mindset & Heartset Coaching, Leadership Development and Transformation. She places Ubuntu principles at the heart of all training initiatives and uses avant-garde practices to help people to heal from trauma. With the devastating effects of Covid-19, she has seen the benefits of these techniques on mental health in the workplace and strives to bring the human element back into business.

This accomplished, versatile, and results-driven professional with over 23 years’ experience in business, is also a professional singer. She is a Mindset and Heartset Practitioner, helping people become aware of how their thoughts and emotions have an impact on their behaviour. Using the lockdown for some deep introspection and healing, allowed her to tune inward and complete her Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA), highlighting how a Growth Mindset, assisted in her own transformation. She is a co-facilitator of the Global Inner Development Goals (IDG) Practitioners Network specialising in inner development believing that to effect societal change and to achieve the UN SDGs by 2030, personal development is necessary first.

Having lost people to suicide, she intends to use her voice for the voiceless, to destigmatise mental health in Africa and encourage people to take a digital detox regularly, to unlock the power of the mind and heart, through the Growth Mindset, Theory U and Inner Development Goals (IDGs) and unleash the fire that burns deep within!

naretha@newmella.co.za
LinkedIn

Naretha Pretorius is the Campus Head at the IIE Vega School, Durban Campus. Naretha is also a thinking facilitator and consultant in creative and critical thinking for innovation, teaching and learning, and strategic decision making. Her passion is to facilitate ways of thinking, using a combination of design thinking, ideation and various engaging techniques for concept development, problem solving and strategic direction. Her approach in finding solutions sits in the art of asking the right questions through creative exploration. Naretha has experience in curriculum and programme development, higher education, educational methodologies and leadership. Besides her passion for education and thinking facilitation, she is also a practising artist. She completed a BA Honours in Fine Art at University of Pretoria, and a Master’s Degree in Fine Art (Cum Laude) from the Durban University of Technology where she received the Dean’s Merit Award for Excellence. Naretha participated in several group exhibitions, did a solo exhibition as part of her master’s studies, and presented as a guest speaker at several conferences and published a number of articles.

Masters Dissertation (2011)
Self-published artist catalogue (2011)
Academic Journal Article (2008)

cathie@newmella.co.za
LinkedIn

Cathie has over 25 years’ experience in governance and legal work, of which 11 has been as a group company secretary and the last few years in the sustainability field. She has lectured, practised as an attorney and conveyancer for her own account and advised as in-house legal counsel.

Cathie is since 1 June 2020 responsible for sustainability for Grindrod Limited, a company listed on the JSE on a part time basis. Previously she was the group company secretary for over 7 years.

She has experience in governance, legal compliance, company secretariat, integrated reporting, ethics, sustainability strategy and risk and opportunity management.

She is one of the founding directors of Co-Go, Collaborative Governance Network for Water Security; board member and chairman of the KZN Advisory Council of the National Business Initiative (NBI); assists with reviewing some of the practice guidance for LexisNexis when requested and provides training and participates as speaker at conferences.

She was selected as one of the Standard Bank KZN Top Business Women in 2019 and elected the KZN Regional Positive Role Model in the 8th Gender Mainstreaming awards in 2020.

Admitted attorney and conveyancer of the High Court of South Africa
Fellow membership of the CGISA
LLM: Law of Contract (University of Pretoria)
LLM: Corporate Law (cum laude) (University of Pretoria)
Master of Studies in Sustainability Leadership (University of Cambridge)

tristin@newmella.co.za
LinkedIn

Tristin-Storme is a highly skilled professional with expertise in multiple areas of personal development. As an internationally trained Life Coach, she guides individuals through transformative processes to help them achieve their goals and live more fulfilling lives. With additional certifications as an NLP Practitioner, Hypnotherapist, and Behaviour Coach, Tristin-Storme brings a diverse toolkit to her practice.

One of her key specialties lies in trauma-informed somatic therapy, where she helps clients navigate past traumas and emotional challenges. Through this approach, she focuses on enhancing emotional intelligence, teaching effective emotional regulation techniques, and dismantling limiting beliefs that may be holding her clients back.

With over a decade of experience honing her skills and techniques, Tristin-Storme has established herself as a leader in her field. Her global client base is a testament to her dedication and effectiveness in facilitating Life Alignment across all aspects of her clients’ lives. Whether it’s career advancement, personal relationships, health and wellness, or overall well-being, Tristin-Storme provides tailored support to help her clients make sustainable and holistic life changes.

By empowering her clients with practical tools, actionable strategies, and unwavering support, Tristin-Storme guides them on a journey of self-discovery and personal growth. Her mission is to help individuals unlock their full potential, overcome obstacles, and step into a life filled with purpose, joy, and fulfilment.

claudia@newmella.co.za
LinkedIn

Claudia is a Change Management Specialist with a Bachelor of Commerce (with Law) degree from the University of Stellenbosch. She has a Practitioner Level Certification in Change Management with APMG International and Prosci accreditation. She is also training to be a Business Innovation and NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) Practitioner.

Claudia has more than 15 years of experience working in business change. She has spent the last decade specialising in project change in highly fluid and challenging environments. From assessing business readiness and impact, through to developing tailored strategies to manage resistance and encourage buy-in, her expertise lies in creating the structure which helps people understand the need for change and how they can effectively transition to new ways of working. She has worked on a multitude of large-scale change programmes, including HR and digital transformations; strategy refreshes; operating model changes and product implementations.

Her passion and empathetic approach, complemented with her ability to be strategic, practical and results-orientated, has only one standard: excellence. She thrives in empowering people with the tools to navigate change successfully and believes that leveraging NLP techniques is key in effectively shifting mindsets and behaviours.